Wildcat Boys' Head Hockey Coach Tim Beres will tell anyone asking, “The best thing about hockey is anybody can win at any given time.”

The Wildcats' section proved Beres’ statement to be correct last Thursday as #1-seeded SPASH lost 4-1 to eighth-seeded Chippewa Falls. SPASH came into the playoffs with an undefeated 24-0 record on the season, outscoring opponents by almost six and half goals per game. SPASH had also beaten the Cardinals 8-0 on Jan. 3 earlier this season.

It wasn't as "David and Goliath" as the SPASH/Chippewa Falls match-up, but River Falls was the #2 seed hosting seventh-seeded Viroqua Blackhawks on Thursday night at the Wildcat Center for the first round of the playoffs. 

The Wildcats outshot Viroqua 11-3 in the first period but went into the first intermission with the score tied 0-0.

"A lot of shots were from the outside," said Beres, "and we didn't attack the middle like we know how to do. We had a lot of turnovers at the blue lines and we want to win those."

"We knew what to expect," said senior Riley Usgaard. "We knew that we had to come out firing right away and keep pressure on them."

"Hockey is a game of inches," said Wildcat senior Cal Usgaard. "We had a lot of shots and a lot of opportunities, but it just didn't go our way early on."

After the Blackhawks killed a penalty at 5:41 in the second period, Viroqua's Connor Williams was called for cross-checking at 6:57. At the 8:24 mark, Wildcat senior Lars Briese streaked down the right side and blasted a shot by Blackhawk goalie Landen Moen to put River Falls in front 1-0 on the power play. Briese's fourth goal of the season was assisted by fellow seniors Cal Usgaard and Calvin Schrank.       

"Viroqua played a great game in the defensive zone and did a great job of protecting the net," said Beres. "We had to find ways to take away his (Moen) eyes. He did a great job of controlling the rebounds."

The Wildcats outshot Viroqua 22-3 in the second period but were clinging to the 1-0 lead heading into the second break.

"Everyone was back checking and working hard and that showed on the scoreboard," said Cal Usgaard.

Heading into the third period, Viroqua had three penalties called to zero for River Falls. Winning the penalty battle is something Coach Beres has preached all season, but it's plagued the Wildcats, most notably, during the third period for seven of their losses. Thursday night was much of the same as River Falls was whistled for two penalties in the final period; however, the Wildcats killed both power plays and skated away with the 1-0 win to advance.

River Falls outshot Viroqua 45-14 on the night.

Wildcat goalie Daniel Linn saved all 14 shots he faced. It was the third consecutive shutout for the 6’1” sophomore goaltender.

"Danny (Linn) has had our back all season long," said Riley Usgaard. "And he's shown how much he's wanted it. We really can’t do it without him."

"In a game like that, you just have to trust your teammates and be smart with what you do," said senior Charlie Friemann. "We just kept playing our game and didn't cave in just because it was a close game."

The Wildcats hosted the #3-seeded RAM (Regis/Altoona/McDonnell) on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. at the Wildcat Center (after The Journal’s press time).

"We've played RAM every year in the playoffs since I've been on varsity," said Friemann. "They are a pretty solid team. I think we need to keep it simple again and get quality shots on net while attacking for rebounds."

“They’re going to be ready for us and we have to ready for them,” said Beres.

The Wildcats defeated RAM by a final of 7-2 earlier this season on Jan. 11th, however, Chippewa Falls’ mammoth upset over SPASH is a fresh reminder to not take any team for granted.

"I can give them the best speech in the world before a game," said Beres, "but, ultimately, it's on the boys to be ready every game no matter who we're playing. I want to give them everything I can to be successful, but this time of year, a lot of it falls on them."